Ventilated barrel



(No Model.)

y W. R. BRIGHT.

VENTILATED BARREL.

No. 510,499. Y Patented Deo. 12, 189,3.:

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UNITED STATESA PATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM R. BRIGHT, OF BOW'ERS HILL, VIRGINIA.

VENTILATED BARREL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,499, datedDecember 12, 1893. Appligaion ined september 2S, 189s.- serin No. 486,256. (Nb man To a/ZZ whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. BRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bowers Hill, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented a new and usefulVentilated Barrel, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to an improvementin the construction of barrels of th at class which are formed from one or more sheets of material provided in their upper and lower edges with alternately-arranged slits or gores, to enable the top and bottom portions to be drawn inward to provide the desired bulge at the center; and the object of my invention is to provide a barrel of this class having the nece'ssary Ventilating openings to adapt it for use in the transportation of fruit, vegetables and other perishable merchandise, the construction thereof being such as to enable thebarrel to be inexpensively manufactured while possessing the required strength and durability to form a safe receptacle for merchandise of the kind mentioned.

Various other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of a barrel embodying my invention. Fig. 2 isa vertical central section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail section through a pair of the inner and outer'hoops, to show the relative arrangement of and manner of connecting the same.

Similar numerals of reference'indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings. Y

The sheet'of Wood 1,which may be of sulficient length to form the entire barrel, or mayv be supplemented by similar sheets when of less length than is necessary to form a barrel of the desired diameter, is provided in its upper and lower edges with the alternately-arranged, inwardly extending slits or gores 2, which extend approximately to the center of the sheet and are formed by the removal of wedge-shaped pieces, having their bases at the edges of the sheet and their apexes at the center thereof. Thus far the construction described is similar to that found in the ordivide Ventilating slots which extend from thev upper and lower edges of the sides of the barrel inwardly to its center, whereby a free circulation of air through the contents of the barrel may be obtained. By this construction it will be seen that the portions of the sheet of wood between these slots or openings "do not receive the lateral support of the adjacent portions as in those constructions where the edges of the slits or gores come together and are firmly pressed into contact by the surrounding hoops, and therefore it is necessary to provide means, auxiliary to the sheet, whereby these separated portions of the material may be caused to mutuallysupport each other. Such means I provide in the form of twin interior and exterior hoops 3 and 4, respectively, which lie in pairs in the same horizontal planes and are connected together and to the sheet by means of the nails or similar retaining devices 5. In order to economize space and material and at the same time provide the necessary strength, I employ hoops of a peculiar construction, in that they are beveled transversely, or are wedge-shaped in cross section, whereby the outer sides of the exterior hoops and the inner sides of the interior hoops are parallel. This is produced by beveling the hoops upon the inclination of those portions of the barrel to which they are attached. In attaching these hoops to the barrel they are relatively inverted, whereby thethicker e'dge of the exterior hoop is opposite the reduced edge-of the inner hoop, and vice versa.

It will be noted that the arrangement of the interior hoops, respectively, in the planes of the exterior hoops, provides the necessary stretching or expansive force to prevent the collapse of the sides of the barrel, while the exterior hoops perform their usual function of maintaining the sheet in the desired form.

The saving of material referred to in connection with my improved construction of hoops is due to the fact that inasmuch as the IOO exterior hoop is bevelel upon its inner side, and the interior hoop is beveled upon its outer side, the hoops may be sawed in pairs.

A barrel constructed as above described may be manufactured at a minimum cost, and in addition to possessing the necessary strength for the shipment of articles of the kind mentioned, provides the ventilation, throughout the entire contents, which is necessary to preserve and maintain the same in marketable condition.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a lid applied tothe barrel, and it will be noted that instead of iitting the edges of the lid in chines or grooves they are placed upon the upper edges of the inside hoops. It will be understood that the lid may be solid, or partly cut away to provide ventilation.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- A bent barrel for the purpose named, constructed of sheet material provided with alternately-arranged upper and lower slits or gores extendinginwardly from the upperand lower edges approximately to the center, and of such a width that when the upper and lower edges are contracted to the desired diameter the edges of said slit will be spaced apart to form intervening Ventilating openings or slots, and having interior and exterior twin hoops arranged in pairs in the same planes, beveled in cross section and relatively inverted Whereby the outer surfaces of the exterior and the inner surfaces of the interior hoops are parallel, said hoops being secured together and to the interposed portions of the sheet by retaining devices extending therethrough, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aliixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM R. BRIGHT.

Witnesses:

CHAs. GIBBs, D. B. CAPPs. 

